Skin Manifestations Associated with COVID-19: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Virology

Background:

• Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.
• Common COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, and respiratory distress.
• Extrapulmonary manifestations, particularly dermatological signs, are increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and classify the cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID-19.
• To summarize clinical features, therapeutic management, and hypothesized pathophysiological mechanisms.
• To provide an overview of the six main clinical patterns of COVID-19-related skin conditions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of current knowledge on COVID-19-associated cutaneous manifestations.
• Classification of dermatological signs into six main clinical patterns.
• Analysis of clinical features, treatment, and pathophysiology for each pattern.

Main Results:

• Six main clinical patterns of COVID-19 skin manifestations were identified: urticarial rash, erythematous/maculopapular/morbilliform rash, papulovesicular exanthem, chilblain-like acral pattern, livedo reticularis/racemosa-like pattern, and purpuric "vasculitic" pattern.
• Detailed clinical features and therapeutic approaches for each pattern were summarized.
• Hypothesized pathophysiological mechanisms were explored.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 presents with a wide spectrum of polymorphic cutaneous manifestations.
• A classification system aids in understanding and managing these dermatological conditions.
• Further research into the pathophysiology of these skin manifestations is warranted.